52 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 28. 



self-possession, and depends not only on the 

 imagination, but also on reason and com- 

 mon sense. (2) The sole eiiective excita- 

 tion to work is of psj'chological nature ; the 

 a,uthor finds himself in a particular emo- 

 tional state, which originates directly in 

 the subject treated. (3) The work of 

 dramatic composition takes place most fre- 

 quently under the form of crises — longer or 

 shorter periods during which production is 

 especially easy. (4) As to the mental state 

 during composition, the author may simply 

 attribute to his characters his own ideas 

 and emotions ; he may seek to forget his 

 own personalitj^, and to enter into that of 

 the characters he imagines ; or he may be 

 in a state which may be truly called one of 

 inspiration, where he seems to listen pas- 

 sively to the conversation which his char- 

 acters themselves carry on. (5) With few 

 exceptions, the professional dramatic 

 authors, when they compose, represent the 

 scene to themselves as occurring on the 

 stage of a true theatre. (6) The question 

 of mental images is one of little importance 

 in comjjosition. 



(4) A. Binet : Francois de Curel (pp. 

 119-173). This paper continues the pre- 

 vious one, and is given separately because 

 the observations furnished by Mr. de Curel 

 are so abundant and so j)recise as to consti- 

 tute probably the most complete analysis in 

 existence of the creative imagination. M. 

 de Curel's mental state during composition 

 is of the third type mentioned in the pre- 

 vious paper, that of inspiration. 



(5) Weeks : Experimental Researches in 

 Phonetics (pp. 174-178). Conti'ary to the 

 received opinion the South German conso- 

 nants b, d, g, whether at the beginning, in 

 the middle, or at the end of a word, are 

 weaker than jj, t, k, instead of identical 

 with them. 



(6) Th. Flournoy : The Action of the 

 Environment on Ideation (pp. 180-197). 

 Forty-three persons each drew ten designs 



and wrote ten isolated words. The im- 

 mediate environment was responsible for 

 15.7% of the drawings, 37.2% of the words; 

 individual habits, profession, etc., accounted 

 for 41.6% of the designs, 31.1% of the 

 words. 



(7.) Th. Flournoy: A case of jjersonifica- 

 tion. (Pp. 191-197.) A rare phenomenon, 

 similar in nature to colored hearing, visual 

 schemes, etc. It consists in the concrete 

 representation of a person (or animal or ob- 

 ject) regularly aroused by a word or an 

 idea which has no comj)rehensible relation 

 with this associated image. 



(8.) Th. Flournoy: The influence of the 

 visual 2^erception of bodies on their apparent 

 weight. (Pp. 198-208.) Smaller objects 

 of equal weight seem heavier than the 

 larger if they are looked at while the com- 

 parison takes place. The illusion persists, 

 even when the equality of weight is known, 

 and does not depend on the mode of pre- 

 hension or upon inequalities of cutaneous 

 contact. Of two equal weights occupying a 

 volume of 2100 and 10 ccm. respectively, 

 the smaller was judged to be from two to 

 five times as heavy as the larger. This ex- 

 periment proves that the sensation of mo- 

 tor effort is purely kinffisthetic, and that 

 so-called sensations of innervation have no 

 existence. 



(9.) E. B. Delabarre: The Laboratories of 

 Psychology in America. (Pp. 209-255.) A 

 brief account of the development of Psy- 

 chology in America is followed by a de- 

 tailed description of the psychological lab- 

 oratories. These number 27, of which 8 or 

 9 are for demonstration onlj^ ; some 5 to 

 8 devote some attention also to research ; 

 and 10 or more are especially active in re- 

 search. In connection with each labora- 

 tory are given the names of director and 

 instructors ; list of courses ; date of estab- 

 lishment of the laboratory', number of rooms 

 occupied, value of equipment and annual 

 appropriation, and kind of research for 



